One of the "joys" of chemotherapy is side effects. Please just quit reading if you don't want to hear about any of this. It just helps me sometimes to write about what I am experiencing. Getting it out of my head helps me not dwell on it all night. I'll be writing about books and reading next and you can come back for that.

Anyway ...side effects. My side effects.

Fatigue

Fatigue: I usually feel this right away when I get home after I am done with my five hour infusion. I was told you won't ever have experienced anything like this before and they were right. It isn't just being tired, it is being whipped and dragged out. Once I get home I am drinking a lot of fluids and have found a good hardy dinner helps immensely. This time Curt made a beef stir fry with asparagus and onions and green beans. Protein and veggies are magic and I, fortunately, do not experience another one of the known side effects,

Nausea: I am so glad I don't have this one. At the hospital before I get the chemo meds I get an infusion of pepcid and benedryl and then another infusion of dexamethasone which is an anti-nausea drug. Then once I am home I take dexamethasone tablets for three mornings. So far it has worked with my body just fine. No nausea means no loss of appetite, means more energy going in while I expend a lot of energy. My good supportive friend who had similar treatments had bad nausea and it made getting through this all the more difficult. I am grateful.

Ok, taken before I lost my hair but this is how I feel on Steroid Day.

Super Duper Steroid Energy: Yep, the day after the infusion and the extreme fatigue I get a day of wow! this feels great! Give me more! Well, there are steroids in the 'juice' they give me and they kick in the day after and that's all you get, one day. I use that day to do the laundry, change sheets, fill the bird feeders and other little projects. None of which I could do today because I had the..

Wobblies: I don't know what else to call it when I just can't walk straight. That's what happens to me on the Day 2. I hold on tight to the banister as I come down stairs from our bedroom. That even leaves me a bit winded. Once again a hardy breakfast helps a lot but I do notice that getting up too fast or doing too much is not in the cards. According to my journal entries tomorrow will be..

Muscle and Joint Aches: My particular pain goes to the back of my knees, top of my feet, shoulders sometimes. Tylenol doesn't seem to attack it but I take it anyway just in case. It may be worse if I don't take it. The pain isn't so unbearable that I need strong meds, which I have been prescribed, but I don't want to go there if I can help it. This pain will stay with me, off and on, for 2-3 days. Makes sleeping difficult.

Neuropathy: So far not much to report. I have been wearing my frozen booties and mittens when I get my chemo meds (see other blog post), and so far I have only experienced a little numbness in my toes lately. No pain. However, some nights my feet are so cold even two pairs of socks don't do the trick but that might be something else. My fingers are good and I can type and sew which takes good finger touch.

And now the biggie!!!

Hair loss: To be perfectly honest, I hate this the most. Well I hate the fatigue the most but I don't have to avoid mirrors because of fatigue or pain. I have a very difficult time viewing my head. Maybe because I have always been blessed with a lot of thick hair. I have purchased lots of hats and scarves. Decided against a wig because I heard they were hot and difficult to wash and ..a bother!! I still have eyebrows but the hairs on my chinny-chin-chin, thanks to hormonal changes, have all disappeared. With my luck, when everything grows back I'll have a beard....oh no, don't go there!!!!!

When all is said and done, I would go through this again rather than have cancer. I am lucky, my cancer is at Grade 1, it can be shrunk, it can be destroyed. Also side effects are different for everyone. This is just one woman's experience. I believe good things will come out of this.